Saturday, 30 March 2013

I discovered Beth Hart through my Dad who is a serious rock
and blues aficionado. I was home over Christmas a few years ago and I heard her
and instantly loved the music: heartfelt lyrics, soulful melodies and an
incredible, powerful voice. She started out in 1993 but her first real success
came in 1999 when her hit LA Song (Out of this Town) was featured in Beverly
Hills 90210. She has released 11 albums over the years but she is still a relatively
marginal act, known to blues fans and a handful of others, but never truly
famous, thus maintaining an authenticity denied to commercial acts. On Thursday
evening I attended her concert at the Paris Olympia and was blown away by not
just her sensational talent, but also how real she was. Here is a woman who has
seen it all and her back catalogue is testament to the rollercoaster of her
life.

I was excited beforehand as much for the venue as the artist
as I’d heard good things about the Olympia, a concert hall that opened back in
1889 and has hosted such legends as Edith Piaf, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Paul
McCartney, Leonard Cohen, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Located on
Boulevard des Capucines in the Opera district, it has a distinctive appearance,
featuring the artist of the day in giant red lights on the building’s façade,
oozing with retro glamour. Enter the Olympia and you have the feeling that you
have stepped into a bygone era, with red the order of the day: carpet, lights
and seats. And in contrast to the soulless arenas played by international
superstars, the Olympia is really just a theatre, with a seating capacity of
1772. As I sat there on Thursday night, enjoying the Danish supporting act,
Mike Tramp – an artist that reminded me of one of my all-time heroes, John
Mayer – I was enchanted by the intimacy of the place. The venue played a huge
role in setting the tone for this concert, not least because it was praised
incessantly by both headline and supporting acts, who stressed their honour at
playing on such a legendary stage.

And as for the concert itself: Beth Hart immediately showed
herself to be humble and genuine, expressing her delight to have sold out the
Olympia and her desire to succeed in France. She thanked the audience profusely
and maintained a connection with us throughout the show, asking us to get to
our feet, getting us to sing along and opening her heart to us about her life
and the heartbreak she has suffered. A drug addict 13 years ago, her
songs reflect the pain that she has gone through and she introduced many of them
with anecdotes from her past, including the time when her now-husband would
visit her in rehab and ultimately save her from herself. Their love for each
other was there for all to see and she dedicated the final song of the evening
to him, the title track from the My California album, and the most angst-ridden
performance of the night.

Yet despite playing the blues, the majority of Beth Hart’s songs
have an undeniably positive edge to them – Beth Hart is an artist to dance to. And
her positivity through the heartbreak is evident in the songs that she chooses
to perform live, favouring jazzy blues numbers and rocking guitar solos over
the more heart-rending collection on My California. Her sense of humour is also
evident and she introduced many of her more quirky numbers with amusing stories,
revealing another side of her personality.

Beth Hart performing Ugliest House on the Block at "Les Nocturnes"

The overriding feeling that I took away from the concert was
that I had just experienced real music. I too enjoy listening to international,
commercially successful artists, but there was something about this concert
that was authentic and touching. This was not an artist producing a generic
setlist night after night but rather a woman bearing her soul to her audience
and actively involving them in the show. Her excitement to be there was
refreshing and endearing and her endless talent awe-inspiring. From the piano
to her powerhouse voice, self-penned tracks, choice of supporting
act and choice of band, Beth Hart is a woman who truly loves music.

Appearing on stage in heels, an elegant red dress and
heavily tattooed arms, she is a visual paradox but as the show unfolds, it
becomes clear that the ups and downs of her life have simply transformed her
into a multi-faceted character with a fascinating story to tell. An inspiring
night at the Olympia with Beth Hart!

Saturday, 23 March 2013

I was listening to this song last night and
it made me realise how much of our lives hinge on key moments or twists of
fate. If the twist of fate doesn’t happen, we continue to go straight and maybe
never realise how close we came to moving in a completely different direction.
Where would we be if we’d made different decisions? If we’d been born somewhere
far away, studied a different subject, gone to different universities, met
different people? Maybe a twist of fate is waiting for us today. Will it be a
good one? Will we be in time to meet it or will we miss it by a millimetre and
continue straight, unaware how close we came?

They sat together in the park As the evening sky grew dark She looked at him and he felt a spark Tingle to his bones 'Twas then he felt alone And wished that he'd gone straight And watched out, for a simple twist of fate

They walked along by the old canal A little confused, I remember well And stopped into a strange hotel With a neon burnin' bright He felt the heat of the night Hit him like a freight train Moving with a simple twist of fate
A saxophone someplace far off played As she was walkin' home, by the arcade As the light bust through a beat-up shade Where he was wakin' up She dropped a coin into the cup Of a blind man at the gate And forgot about a simple twist of fate